


Dragon Jarl of Helgen

by Rikkamaru



Series: Random Discontinued Stories [2]
Category: Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, Kuroko no Basuke | Kuroko's Basketball
Genre: Gen, Nijimura-centric
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-09-22
Updated: 2017-03-09
Packaged: 2018-02-18 08:28:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,050
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2341739
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rikkamaru/pseuds/Rikkamaru
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Nijimura had never played Skyrim and had no interest in playing Skyrim. So why the hell was he there?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. I

**Author's Note:**

> Kulaankiin – Literally "Prince-born"

When Shuuzou went to bed last night, everything had been fine. His brother was obsessively playing some computer game, his sister was busily texting some of her friends (it amuses him just how easily his siblings adapted to America) and Shuuzou was doing his homework and reluctantly answering Tatsuya's constant texts.

When he woke up, he realized instantly that he wasn't where he was supposed to be. First of all, instead of his and his sibling's room he was on what he assumed to be a mountain top, a wall some ways away from him with lines and dots etched all over it.

Second of all, he was what he thinks is a _dragon_.

Oh yes, when he first tried to get up it had scared the shit out of him to figure out that the wings and claws he saw moving were actually _his_. And don't get him started about his tail. He had to have spent at least an hour figuring out how everything worked, constantly tripping over his own tail in the process. When he shouted in frustration one time a tongue of fire had come out, along with a word he'd never even heard before.

Following this logic, figuring out flight was admittedly an embarrassing and hilarious endeavor on its own.

And now, as he was gliding slowly over the land, Shuuzou finally had a chance to admire the land below him. While there were large impressive mountains scattered throughout the land, there were also beautiful forests and sparkling lakes that he could see to the bottom of. Scuttling crabs would catch his eye from time to time, as would the foxes and wolves and deer there.

…Did he just see a mammoth?

Landing carefully by one of these lakes, he drank from the water. He saw one of the large crabs approach him with its pincers raised, and swiftly killed it with a smack of his tail. After staring at it blankly for a moment, Shuuzou sighed and began eating it, his sharp teeth tearing the flesh apart with little difficulty. The crabs avoided him after that.

Shuuzou then took off once more, intent on returning to the place he'd woken up. Along the way, he caught sight of what looked like a recently ruined town, and made a note to visit it after he rested for a day or two. Landing at the giant wall, he stared at the scribbles in curiosity. He wasn't as surprised as he kind of wished he was when the translated itself before his eyes into something readable.

 **Laknir Little-Hammer raised (this) stone in memory of his servant, humble Vakeeza, who swore** **allegiance** **to (the) kings of Skyrim and died in Gray Autumn.**

…This meant absolutely nothing to him.

The word "allegiance" stood out in particular to Shuuzou though, so he noted it silently then climbed on top of the wall, falling asleep quickly.

In his dream, Shuuzou was floating in a dark landscape, in his human form once more. As he floated there, the land began to form around him, grass beneath his feet and a large incense burner to his right. A large, ghostly white rat ran past him, and the teen stared as the rat jumped into the burner, causing a pillar of fire to blind his vision.

When it faded, a gigantic, serpentine looking dragon was standing before him. It had a rounded crest on its head and actually had forearms as well, its wings skinnier and weaker as a result. When it breathed out, Shuuzou coughed a little in response to the noxious fumes that was its breath. It looked near emaciated, but there was an arrogant demeanor about.

" **Human,"** it rasped out, its voice deep but hoarse as if ill. **"Do you know who I am? Or where you are?"**

Shuuzou frowned. "Not at all; I was hoping you could answer those questions actually."

The draconic creature laughed, and Shuuzou frowned again as unease slowly overtook him. **"Such blunt words. You are fortunate that I am not quick to anger, child, but then I am not too surprised by your insolence. That is part of the reason I brought you here."** It gestured with its wings, and Shuuzou had a feeling that he was speaking of more than just this dream.

" **You, mortal, are in the land Tamriel, specifically in the Skyrim region. I am Peryite, Daedric Prince of Pestilence and Order."** Shuuzou frowned a little at that but, giving it some thought, it did make sense. Overpopulation can easily lead to mass disorder, and pestilence is certainly a way to remedy that. The Prince gave him an approving look, and he suspected that the draconic being had just read his mind.

" **You have been brought into this world to see if your actions can bring about a desired balance upon the land. Skyrim is in the midst of a brutal civil war, and its people turn against one another over trivialities such as race. I, and possibly others, will monitor your actions on this land and see what your actions do to change this hunk of rock."**

Shuuzou nodded in understanding but froze. "What about my family? My brother, sister, parents? How will they –"

Peryite flicked his tail dismissively. **"No matter how long you live here, when your time comes, you will waken back in your old world the day after you had fallen asleep. Time is distorted between this realm and yours. Years, even centuries here, will only pass as hours in your world. So fear not, child, your family will not experience the pain of losing you this soon in your life."**

Shuuzou sighed in relief and finally agreed to this plan. He wouldn't really die here, from the sounds of it, and his family will be there when he's done. He doesn't really have anything to lose.

Peryite seemed to approve again and stepped closer, the scent of disease and death on his breath. **"You may use your name if you so wish, but if any dragon asks for your true name, tell them that it is…Kulaankiin."** He sounded amused. **"Do your best, mortal. These may not be your people, but they are in a way mine."**

When he awoke, Shuuzou grumbled despondently, somewhat annoyed that this hadn't been more than a bad dream. Climbing down from the wall, the teen-dragon looked at the treasure chest that lay innocently in front of the platform leading up to the wall. He knocked it over with his tail, and stared curiously at the glimmering gold pieces he saw along with some silver jewelry and a warm-looking cloak. Mentally shrugging, he gathered the items and took off, heading toward the ruined town he saw yesterday.

He arrived there easily, and actually sighed in relief as the warmer climate washed over him. He looked around in curiosity, eyeing the scorched tower and the collapsed in houses. Shuuzou felt some remorse as he nosed through the debris of one house only to find skeletons and a toy fit for a young child, and added it to the item stash he was holding between his wing joint and shoulder.

Done scavenging, the teen-dragon swept the flimsy rubble away from what once looked to be a town hall and scattered his loot in the corner, curling up beside it with an amused huff.

Now he was a _real_ dragon.

* * *

Ahkari was growing increasingly worried as they travelled on the road. Her caravan had been looking for shelter for some time now, but every town and house they came across turned them away in suspicion. Normally it wouldn't be a problem, they would just sleep in their wagons, but now…

The caravan leader looked at the wagon where a heavily panting Khajiit was sitting. "How close is the cub, Zahrasha?"

Kharjo's mate, who joined them in their caravan after the two got married in Riften, looked at her leader and grimaced faintly. "He is struggling to get out, Ahkari. I will be in labor soon."

Ahkari's ears flattened in indecision, before she saw the edge of a town. It looked damaged, and abandoned, so none should be there to challenge their right to be within its walls. "Let us go there," he said, gesturing to the ruins. "It looks freshly abandoned; we should be able to find comfort there." The others agreed and they were soon within the abandoned town, walking toward the barracks, which seemed the most untouched.

Ahkari gestured the mated pair and Zaynabi on. "I will search through the other ruins with Dro'marash," she told them. "I will join you when it is time." They nodded and continued to the barracks, while Ahkari and Dro'marash moved toward what might've been the meeting place in the town.

As they grew closer, Ahkari's suspicion and paranoia turned into alarm. A large bronze and black form was curled up in the skeleton of the town hall, its body moving in sleep. A dragon?! Here, of all places and times?!

Dro'marash tensed beside her, and drew his weapon, but that only served to wake the beast. It shook its massive head, jaws parting in a yawn that exposed teeth as long as her hand, and turned to them.

"Ah, guests," the dragon said aloud, and Ahkari saw Dro'marash nearly drop his sword in shock. She concurred; hearing the creature speak was quite startling. "You honor me with your presence," it continued. "What can I do to help you on this night?"

Ahkari slowly approached the dragon, attaining its attention easily and spoke to it. "I am Ahkari, of the Khajiit Caravans, and we wish to seek shelter in your town, mighty dragon." She may have laid it on a little thick, but it never hurt to flatter a creature capable of tearing their entire group to shreds.

The dragon cocked its horned head to the side. "Very well, you are welcome to stay as long as you so wish." The caravan leader sighed in relief before tensing again as the dragon moved to no longer be lying on its side. "I will be out hunting; I will return momentarily." With that, it began leaving the town hall, the two Khajiit scrambling to not get crushed beneath it. Outside, it stretched its massive wings out and took to the sky.

Ahkari and Dro'marash stared at the figure as he flew a small distance away, baffled. "That went far better than I could have hoped," Ahkari said quietly, and Dro'marash nodded.

"Indeed. But what does it say that a dragon welcomes us into his nest where the furless ones turn us away?" The question was sincere, if bitter and angry.

Ahkari shrugged and began walking to the barracks, prompting Dro'marash to do the same. "It says that something such as race should not be taken into account in regards to things such as hospitality." Dro'marash grunted in agreement, and they entered the barracks. They found the couple near the entrance moving straw and objects around to make a comfortable nest for the birth, Zaynabi likely looking for anything still good to eat in the attached room.

As Dro'marash began pitching in for building the nest, Ahkari put her fist on her hip. "You wouldn't believe the host we have whilst recuperating in this village."

"Oh?" Zahrasha inquired, sitting in a nearby chair to rest her back. "Who is it? Dunmer? Not Bosmer, surely."

Ahkari shook her head. "Dragon."

The stunned silence that followed that line spoke for itself. Zahrasha shook, and not just in exhaustion. "Truly? A…a dragon…?"

They couldn't think on it for too long, as Zahrasha would be going into labor at any moment and they didn't have time to leave and find other shelter. Ahkari had Dro'marash stand guard outside and settled beside Zahrasha as she lay in the straw, taking a deep breath to fortify herself.

Ahkari hoped they wouldn't regret trusting that dragon.

* * *

Shuuzou knows that he probably terrified the cat-people while he was talking to them, but he couldn't help it. They woke him up and in a fit of humor he'd decided to talk all formal and proper like he'd seen on that wall. He might not be able to continue using the voice for long but he'd try to hold on to it for as long as possible.

Snorting, he glided over grassland and caught sight of a stag trying to escape his gaze. He adjusted his wings slightly, and dived towards the beast, his claws outstretched to snatch it up. He felt his claws dig into the creature's flesh and heard its bleat of pain before it went still beneath him. Shuuzou glided the rest of the way onto a hill and threw the corpse onto it, landing beside the deer.

He looked at the carcass distastefully, before getting an idea. He said the word he'd shouted in pain yesterday (it sounded like "Yol", but his mind insisted it was "fire"), and watched in fascination as it his breath transformed into fire the moment the word left his mouth, roasting the deer in the process. It was with less hesitation that Shuuzou began eating.

As he was nosing through the carcass to pull more meat out to cook (and mentally wrinkling his nose at the smell), the dragon-teen heard snarling before something tried to pounce on him. He hit it slightly with his tail and turned his head to see a rather large cat stumbling away, trying to regain its balance to attack him again.

Getting an idea, Shuuzou faced it and said "allegiance", only to hear, "Mir". The sound wave travelled out and hit the cat, causing it to still and relax. It walked toward him, but no longer appeared ready to attack him. Shuuzou nudged the carcass toward it, and the cat nodded to him before sinking its teeth into the deer. They ate in companionable silence, and eventually the cat turned and left, its belly fuller than when it first appeared.

Shuuzou watched it leave and launched himself into the air, beating his wing-arms hard gain an appropriate altitude before turning and flying back to the ruined city. On his way there he faltered for a moment; would the cat people need food? He didn't know how many were with the two he'd seen. As if to answer his indecision, a goat appeared below him, and Shuuzou didn't hesitate to swoop down and pluck the goat off of the ground, killing it in the process. He made a sound of content.

Now they couldn't complain.

* * *

Ahkari let Kharjo and Zahrasha coo over their new son, walking outside to wait for their host. She didn't have to wait much longer before she heard the beat of wings in the distance. Soon after the dragon appeared, landing carefully in front of the leader of the caravan group. Carefully maneuvering himself, the dragon deposited a goat in front of the Khajiit, who looked back at him in question.

The dragon moved his head in a way that she interpreted as a shrug. "I wish to be a good host, and so brought you food. If you do not want it, I will happily eat it myself."

Ahkari waved her hand dismissively. "I thank you, master dragon, for your hospitality. One of mine has just given birth, and will benefit greatly from some meat in her stomach."

The dragon blinked slowly at her and finally inclined its head towards her. "I am glad that I could be of some use, then." It cocked its giant head at her. "What is your name, mortal?"

She bowed a little. "This one goes by Ahkari. And what is your name, great dragon?" From what little she knew dragons tend to have three syllable names, but she wasn't sure.

The dragon stared at her unblinkingly for a moment, before a deep chuckle rolled out of it. "I go by many names, Ahkari. Among my kind, I am simply Kulaankiin. But among those who I consider friends and, at times, family, I go by Nijimura and indeed I prefer that name over the other." The dragon let her stew on that for a moment. Dragons had nicknames? And preferences to which name they were called? "Now, on to a more pressing question of mine; what name does your race go by? I have never spoken to another mortal of this world before today."

Ahkari smiled slightly at Nijimura's blatant curiosity. "We are the Khajiit. We come from the desert lands of Elsweyr, and travel in caravans here to try and improve our living conditions." Another head cock urged her to continue. "We are a poor people, and are given a bad reputation due to many of our race's actions. The Men and Mer may hate each other, but they are united in their mutual distrust of the Khajiit."

She said the last part bitterly, recalling all of the towns that turned them away while one of them was heavy with child. The dragon looked at her unblinkingly before bowing his head ever so slightly. "You have my sympathies, then. None should be treated in such a way."

Ahkari was surprised to feel a rush of warmth at Nijimura's words, his genuine remorse more than she'd ever really received from any other being that was not Khajiit. She settled on saying, "You are kind, Master Dragon. I hope you do not mind then if we stay longer in your town."

Again he moved his head in a shrug. "I do not mind at all. Stay as long as you wish. Speak with me if you have any requests or if you merely wish to talk." With that he began to make his way to the town hall building they'd found him in the first time. "Come with me; there are items here that you may find of use."

Ahkari jogged behind Nijimura and moved to the pile of items she could see in the corner. She made a sad sound at the doll that was in the pile but picked it up herself for Zahrasha's cub, and gathered the cloaks and some of the jewels she could see sparkling in the light. Nijimura chuckled at her when she picked up and examined a garnet, but made no move to attack her for it. "I will pay you for these jewels," she insisted to him, and he waved his tail in a dismissive manner.

"Very well, but consider the cloaks and doll gifts. I have no use for cloaks or children's toys. Granted, I have no use for gems or coin either, but they are of more use to me."

Ahkari nodded in agreement, bundling the items up to take to her caravan members. This would be an interesting investment if they and the dragon continued interacting with one another.

* * *

It had been weeks since the caravan had left the village Shuuzou had now made his home. He spent most of his time hunting and hoarding some items he found as he flew from place to place. At some point the saber-toothed cat he'd met on his second day there found him and had taken to living in the town along with him.

He wasn't quite sure if that was supposed to happen, but he could live with that.

He'd also, in a fit of boredom, taken to removing debris from the ruined town, pulling away boulders with his claws and melting down smaller stones back into the road with his fire breath. The cat blinked obligingly at him and helped from time to time, mostly taking blankets and sheets that didn't burn to build a nest in the town hall next to Shuuzou. The cat has taken to following the dragon-teen around and eating beside him, his sleeping curled up next to Shuuzou another sign of its trust.

Shuuzou was fairly certain it was a male and didn't hesitate to name him Akashi. That done, he and Akashi slowly figured out their roles in the giant town they'd claimed as their home. What few bandits that tried to stir up trouble were brutally rebuffed by Shuuzou while Akashi handled a portion of the hunting and checked through the narrower parts of the town for intruders or skeevers.

While he was travelling, Shuuzou came across other dragon perched protectively on their own walls. They didn't particularly care if he came close, though that may have been because he was apparently a stronger form of dragon. They called him an Elder Dragon, and they were much smaller and weaker in comparison based on their actions.

He had learned a few more words from the walls, which also improved his breathing abilities. He learned the additional word "Krah" for his frost breath – he'd checked over his mind for additional words and learned he also had the word "Fo" which meant frost, giving him an idea of its abilities – and the words "Zul", "Mey", and "Gut" from a wall near a town that was guarded by a weaker dragon and a floating corpse.

He also learned "Slen" which he saw freeze one of those giant crabs solid and so shattered the creature with a swing of his tail. But those were the only other words he'd learned to shout thus far.

He had just begun looking for another wall to learn from about two months after the Khajiit had left his town when he heard a high-pitched scream coming from nearby. Looking up from his kill, Shuuzou moved from the thicket and climbed up a thick tree to look out toward the cry he'd heard. He then abruptly felt his vision fill with red.

A small child was trying to escape some woman who slapped him soundly on the face and screamed at him about something. When the child began letting out ragged sobs as the woman kept screaming and finally Shuuzou couldn't take it any longer. Letting out a roar of rage, Shuuzou took flight and swooped down, landing talons-first into the woman. He killed her instantly and letting out a somewhat content sound as her breath froze in death.

The dragon turned to look at the child, but froze when he felt tiny arms wrap around his neck. "You saved me from Grelod the Kind!" The tiny boy cried out, relieved beyond all else. "Thank you so much, Mr. Dragon!"

Shuuzou raised his head carefully, detaching the child from him. "Call me Nijimura, kid," he told him gently. "Now then, do you have a place to go? A home, town?"

The child shook his head frantically. "Grelod was taking me back to the orphanage in Riften, but I don't want to go! They'll hurt me, like Grelod did!" The boy came to a realization and steeled his face. "I want to go with you!"

Shuuzou stared at the child in disbelief. "Kid, I'm a _dragon_. Don't your people tell horror stories about mine? I'm the bogeyman to Men and Mer alike."

"You saved me from Grelod, Mr. Nijimura," the kid said solemnly. "You could never be a bad guy to me."

Shuuzou stared at the child with wide eyes, before eventually lowering his head once more. "Get on, then. We'll find a place for you to stay." He remembered something at the last moment. "You got a name, kid?"

"It's Hroar. My mom, before she left, told me she named me after the sound a lion makes!"

"Interesting. Dragons make that sound too, you know?"

"Really?! Awesome!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one has been on my mind since ever since I wrote "If You Steal Something, is it Ever Really Yours?" so let's see how this goes. I have an idea of where it's going, as well as the ending, but that's about it. For example, Hroar wasn't supposed to show up, but he did.
> 
> This will also be the opening to one of the weirdest series I've ever thought to write.


	2. Chapter II

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nijimura meets a vampire considered odd by all conventional standards and, when he's feeling particularly delusional, can see an illusion of what was to come.

Hroar was having difficulty learning how to read, and his new Papa couldn't help him at first. Mostly because Papa couldn't read the books since he'd never seen the language before. That made sense, Hroar reasoned. Dragons wouldn't have time to read books. He seemed to figure it out quickly though, add soon Papa was telling Hroar whatever stories in the books the kid could find, his voice gentle and deep.

The big cat that lived with them stared at him in confusion when he first met him then gave Papa a look that Hroar could only describe as unimpressed. Papa made disagreeing sounds at the cats look but didn't seem too upset either way.

From his Papa's words and the fitting letters on the books, Hroar began to slowly learn more letters and he began to very slowly learn to write as well.

They were exploring outside of the town Papa lived in when he found a signpost. "Papa," he called. "That says 'Riverwood', right?"

Papa looked up from the elk he and Akashi were eating and stared at the sign. "Yes." He finally said, "well done." He sounded proud, and Hroar beamed. They continued exploring nearby, Hroar a little ahead of Papa and Akashi, when he felt someone grab him.

"What're you doing here you little brat?!" He heard someone yell at him, but it descended to screams as Akashi leapt at him and clawed his face, maiming him beyond repair. The screams grabbed the attention of the other bandits and they all came out of the mine to attack the bit cat, but Papa reached them first, snarling and burning them to ashes.

Once they were all gone, Hroar hugged his Papa tight around the neck and sobbed. "Thank you, Papa!" he cried, refusing to let go even when the dragon's neck jerked in surprise.

After a quiet moment Papa leaned a little into his hug. "You're welcome…son." He said the word slowly, almost unsure, but Hroar just hugged him tighter in response. After that brief heartfelt moment, the two separated and the former orphan explored the rest of the mine with Akashi beside him, Papa too large to enter. They had just finished exploring the mine and were returning to the surface when a man stumbled across them.

Akashi immediately began growling and the man dropped to his knees in front of them, cowering. "Please don't hurt me," he cried. "I don't mean any harm! They were going to kill me but then you two showed up and killed them all. I swear I've never drunk a human's blood without permission!"

Hroar blinked at the man in surprise and stated the obvious. "So you're a vampire. I'm Hroar, and this is Akashi." The cat snarled a little but made no move to attack the vampire.

The vampire shook a little. "I-I'm Kailen." Kailen was pale brown with glowing orange eyes. His fangs were prominent, but not enough to immediately suspect him being a vampire. Hroar just shrugged it off; the bandits might've been tailing the guy to jump him later on.

"Hi Kailen, nice to meet you. Let's head out and meet with my Papa." Papa would know what to do about this.

* * *

Kailen walked nervously beside the young boy, his mind whirling with thoughts. Hroar appeared to be a kind boy, but the large saber-toothed cat that the boy was now riding on terrified the young vampire quite a bit. He kept looking at it, only to find it staring back darkly every time, waiting for him to slip up so that it – he, Hroar had introduced the cat as Akashi and called it a "he" – could happily tear into him.

They finally left the mine shaft and Kailen cringed at the bright light, his hands scrambling to his hood in order to protect his eyes from the light. That done, he looked up as Hroar ran off screaming, "Papa!" and blanched.

That was a dragon.

A _dragon_.

…Kailen was definitely missing something, he could tell.

The dragon allowed the child to hug his face then turned to look at the vampire. "I see you've made a new friend, Hroar. What is his name?"

The boy let go of his "Papa" (…he still didn't get it) and gestured at his "new friend". "This is Kailen, Papa! He's a vampire and they were gonna kill him!"

The dragon looked at Kailen curiously before cocking his head to the side. "Does he sparkle in sunlight?"

Embarrassed Kailen blurted out, "Of course not!" then squeaked as the dragon stared at him. It then began to laugh, a low deep sound that practically made Kailen's bones vibrate.

"Well at least he isn't mute!" the dragon teased. "It is an honor to meet you, Kailen. I am Nijimura." He lowered his head slightly, which Kailen interpreted to be a bow, and he hastily bowed back. Nijimura shifted around slightly, prompting the child to get onto his neck, but glanced back at Kailen. "Do you have a place to stay, little vampire? Our home is naught but a ruin, but it is open to you none the less."

Kailen blinked at him in surprise. He'd just told the large beast that he was a vampire, but instead of killing him he was…inviting him into his home?

Was he _mad_?

Nijimura seemed to read his expression and gave him an amused look. "Akashi would not have let you near Hroar if he deemed you untrustworthy. And he has very low tolerance in terms of trust." Kailen nodded hesitantly in understanding and Nijimura took off, winging his way to the north. Kailen shot Akashi a nervous look but the cat ignored his worry in favor of running to the north as well. Kailen stared after him and began sprinting to keep up.

This was the weirdest day of Kailen's life, and that was definitely saying something.

It took a bit of time until the vampire arrived at the town Akashi was leading him to, and he was a bit surprised. The town was a bit ruined but it wasn't nearly as bad as Kailen had assumed it to be. The streets were somewhat broken up and the windows shattered, and some houses burned, but the larger debris was already outside of the compound and the streets were fairly clean.

Exploring some more, Kailen was excited to find the tunnel in the barracks that leads to an underground cavern. It went on for quite some time, the waterfall and river adding a beautiful atmosphere to the somewhat unnerving cavern. As he stared at the luminous mushrooms and weak light that entered through the stone walls and ceiling, the vampire felt a grin tugging at his lips.

"It's perfect!" he shouted at the dragon, startling Nijimura into jerking up from the book he'd been reading to Hroar. The beast turned to look at in annoyance, and Kailen was surprised to find that he didn't immediately quail at that look like he would have even hours before.

"The caverns beneath the barracks are perfect for me or any other benign vampire even! This place will be brilliant for working on my potions and research!" He grinned widely, uncaring of his exposed fangs as the other two didn't bother acknowledging them. "All I need now are supplies for my alchemy!"

"Don't you need to drink blood?" Nijimura asked, both cautious and curious.

"Typically, yes," Kailen agreed, his enthusiasm never wavering. "But I learned of a clan of vampires who've developed a potion that both heals and stands as a substitute for blood that they can take. I just got a vial of the stuff recently and should be able to reverse engineer how it's made. After that I can just make my own potions and live off of those!"

"If you never actually planned to live on human blood, then why did you become a vampire?" Nijimura asked, curious, and Kailen paused at the question. So few thought to ask it, after all.

"I was infected by Sanguinare Vampiris a few years ago, and I had planned to have it cured when I realized that, so long as I control my bloodlust, this would be the best way for me to learn as much as I possibly can. Now I'm immortal, and can study and research to my heart's content for decades to come."

Nijimura nodded thoughtfully at that, and then turned back to the book he was reading to Hroar. Kaelin sat beside them, listening to the book of riddles with a light heart.

* * *

With an extra pair of hands to do the finer work, the picking up and cleaning of the town (Kailen told Nijimura that it was once called Helgen, who began calling it that in response) was going much more smoothly.

Another two months passed before the town and underground tunnels were considered livable by Kailen's standards. He'd already made a surplus of blood potions by that time that lined a wall of the large leather tent that he had set up in the underground tunnels.

It was around the time that the town's excess debris was removed that a Khajiit caravan appeared outside of the walls, and Nijimura took barely a glance at them before using his tail to push the doors open. "I welcome you once more, caravan leader Ahkari," he greeted formally, and Kailen saw a smile appear on the Khajiit woman's face in response.

"I thank you for your welcome, Master Dragon," she said in response, tugging her hood off of her head once the gates had been closed once more. "I was wondering if we could perhaps stay once more in the Keep as we rest and recuperate from our journey."

Nijimura cocked his head to the side in thought then nodded. "I do not mind your company, so long as you do not mind Kailen resting in the underground tunnels."

She eyed Kailen suspiciously for a moment, stiffening slightly as she registered his…"affliction" before nodding. He smiled at her underneath his hood, and escorted them to the Keep.

"Master Nijimura would not ask us such a question unless you do not feed on humans," she said as an opener, and Kailen nodded.

"This is true," he agreed. "Nor would he allow me near his human child Hroar if I did in fact feed on human blood. I survive on blood potions that I make myself." Kailen stifled his amused laugh at the Khajiit's and her group's stunned visage and simply led them to the Keep. The sun was beginning to set, so he was only just getting ready to act on his nocturnal nature.

He waved the Khajiit into Helgen Keep and returned to Nijimura. "Friends of yours?" he asked lightly, and the dragon nodded.

"I met them on my first night in Helgen; they were kind, if wary due to my being a dragon." Kailen nodded thoughtfully at that, and they spent the rest of the night talking, staring at the moon and listening to the howls that echoed in the night.

The next day, Kailen was returning to the tunnels to sleep the day away when he saw Ahkari and her troop leaving the keep. He nodded to her, getting a nod back in response, and continued on his way. When he awoke at dusk and went outside to talk to Nijimura again, he saw that one of the female Khajiit and the cub were still there, while the others had left.

"They trust us enough to leave one of their women and a child here?" Kailen asked the dragon in a small sense of disbelief. The glance Nijimura shot him was amused.

"Why wouldn't they? They trusted me enough for Zahrasha to give birth in the Keep when I'd just arrived here and accepted when I offered them prey I had caught. They would only really distrust you and they seemed to have realized that I wouldn't let anyone harm a child, not even you." Kailen could accept that kind of reasoning and nodded in understanding.

He spent the rest of the night interacting with the new members of their little community and researching different potions with Hroar acting as his assistant when he was awake. It was with a smile that Kailen went to bed as the sun rose; enjoying the life they seemed to have set up for themselves.


	3. Chapter 3

With Zahrasha and the new cub Vitani living in Helgen the level of interaction Hroar had with other mortals increased quite a bit, and he slowly began learning his numbers from the caravan worker in return for watching over her child from time to time. He still preferred Akashi and his Papa’s company to the others, but they had saved him and all but raised him for a little while before the others arrived, so that was understandable.

Three weeks after Zahrasha settled into Helgen, Papa began behaving oddly, leaving with buckets and returning with them filled with fish. He once came back with a bunch of logs and placed a few in the recently repaired forge before piling the rest in the center of the town. He collected more logs and piled them there, looking oddly excited as he did so.

“What are you doing, Papa?” he finally asked him at a huge pile of wood had been collected and set up in the middle of the town square. His Papa’s head swung over, and he offered him a content look.

“The fall equinox will be upon us soon, Hroar,” he told him. “I am merely setting up a festival to honor it.”

Hroar looked at his Papa in curiosity. “What is the equinox?”

“The equinox is the day in which night and day are equal. You might notice that winter has longer nights and summer that has longer days. In response, there are two days where night and day is equal, one in the spring and one in the fall. I wish to celebrate both the equinoxes and the days where night and day are longest, which are called the solstice.”

Hroar nodded thoughtfully at that, and began helping his father set everything up. He looked through Helgen Keep with Zahrasha and found a bunch of lanterns that he lit up and hung on various posts that were scattered around the pile of wood. When the night finally fell that day his Papa breathed fire onto the pile of wood, instantly lighting it into a huge bonfire.

Kailen joined them and he and Zahrasha helped Hroar cook some of the fish for themselves, feasting on the four buckets that Papa had gathered for them. Papa himself was feasting on some dear he’d also caught, gnawing on the leg bones and leaving the meat-covered ribs for the others. To have him join in the fun Hroar poured a bucket of the fish into his Papa’s mouth, who jokingly ate it all in one gulp.

Zahrasha was cooking a bunch of the fish by placing them near the fire and Vitani was giggling and gnawing on one of the deer ribs that had been broken off for him. Occasionally she or Kailen would throw a fish in the air to see Papa eat it out of the air.

During the night the adults all shared stories of different things they’d done in their lives, Papa getting them all laughing when he told them about one of the companions he’d had as an adolescent, a really cunning and ruthless red dragon that was afraid of dogs and his friend, a forest dragon afraid of cats.

They kept up the stories and games and general festivities long into the night, and the last thing Hroar remembered before falling asleep was curling up against his Papa’s side as his voice rumbled on.

When he woke up the next day, Hroar was certain; he wanted to have another festival again. He told his Papa as much, to the dragon’s amusement.

* * *

It was after Ahkari’s caravan visited another time and moved on to Riften that word began to spread of Helgen’s revival and its draconic leader, and it was mostly due to Ahkari and the caravan, actually.

They were just talking to some of the Khajiit and Argonians in Riften and Ahkari leaned closer, her voice a whisper. “You do not need to stay in a place such as this. There is a great place being made, where Khajiit can walk in the streets without the Nords looking down on us and where fish and meat are easy to find.”

“But what of the leader?” one of them asked her, voice quavering. “What of the dragon that has nested there?”

“The dragon that has nested there _is_ the leader,” she confirmed, and continued on when they looked at her in stunned disbelief. “But he is kind in a way that the Men and Mer are not. He welcomed us, and fed us when Zahrasha had gone into labor. Kulaankiin is the kindest Jarl I have met.”

Many looked disbelieving, but there were some that appeared thoughtful. They were the desperate ones, unable to find work or unable to submit themselves to the wills of Men or Mer, but still hesitant to take to the road as the caravans have.

They left Riften soon after that, and decided at the last moment to go up to Windhelm. Maybe the Argonian dock workers or Dunmer would like to hear what they had to say.

They had indeed liked what they had heard, the Nords’ blatant racism toward them slowly whittling away at their patience and acceptance of their situation. A few of them murmured softly to one another, nodding every once in a while, before they thanked the caravan members for the information and gave each of them a drink free of charge.

And so the news spread of a town being remade, of a dragon ruling over it and accepting anyone who comes in so long as they were willing to live without inter-town conflict.

Hiding in the caves near Falkreath, a werewolf heard the whisperings of the people, and looked thoughtfully to the east.

Cursing his town’s ignorance, an alchemist and sorcerer listened to his charge’s report on the gossip of a newly made town and paused before sighing and staying where he was. Maybe, if things went too far here, he’ll change his mind, but for now…for now he’ll stay.

The mages of Winterhold were chattering excitedly, making large gestures and scribbling on papers they had around them. An alliance with a dragon had untold benefits in terms of what they could learn from him and what he could learn from them!

In a cave near Riften, a nomadic group of vampires talked about the new town, and the rumors of a vampire living on blood potions in the town.

In Windhelm, a beggar child and an orphan talked about Grelod’s death and of Hroar living in the town with a dragon. Maybe he could help them too?

And finally, on a barren ash-strewn wasteland, a council of Dunmer spoke of the gossip that had reached even their ears. Perhaps the dragon could help them reopen their trade with Skyrim…

In this way the word of Helgen’s revival spread, and throughout it all Nijimura read stories to the children and hunted with Akashi, completely oblivious to the ripples he was causing.

* * *

Shuuzou didn’t really mind that more people were slowly joining their little town, but why did they keep asking him for permission? It’s not like he owned the town, last he checked.

(Actually, Helgen’s old laws dictated that the first to rest in the town after it had been abandoned was named Jarl, though Shuuzou wasn’t aware of that. Yet.)

None the less, he welcomed them all happily into the silent little town, and began helping them rebuild some of the houses. Houses began popping up, two then three then four then seven, dark-skinned elves (actually called Dark Elves, or Dunmer he learned later) taking three of them and running the inn as well, the Khajiit Caravans given their own house to store various personal treasures and to rest if stopping by.

The underground tunnels of the Keep began flourishing as pacifist nomadic vampires requested to live there and survive off of the blood potions that Kailen began making en masse.

Three months after the Dunmer moved in a werewolf also joined their community, with the sole request being that there was a cellar built into his one-story house so that he could safely transform. Apparently he had trouble controlling his transformations, but at least he was being proactive about it.

Two kids had appeared at some point, Sofie and Aventus, and Hroar happily invited them into the family without even asking Shuuzou. Granted, he wouldn’t have said no, but he still sulked for a while over the matter. Sofie wanted to be an Alchemist and so studied under Kailen’s careful eye and Aventus wanted to be an Assassin. Well…at least he’s driven, Shuuzou supposed. The three slept in a nice-looking house that the town called the Jarl’s house, Shuuzou taking to perching on top of it when sleeping.

With the Dunmer had come the Argonians from Windhelm, who took the remaining two houses for themselves. They were smiths and metal-workers, as well as skilled laborers who helped a good deal with the reconstruction of the town. One of them ran the weapons and armor shop in town, Shuuzou happily lighting the forge up to be used once more.

With the forge working once more the Caravans eagerly began buying and selling with them, the town and travelers sharing their profits equally and speaking highly of one another as the caravans went from place to place and as the town slowly began to receive travelers, many people curious to the rumors about the town being run by a dragon of all creatures.

A trio of down-on-their-luck bards appeared one day and sat at the bar in the inn, the Argonian barkeep tending to them immediately. “What’s troubling you, fair wanderers?” The barkeep asked, concern and curiosity both in his voice.

“We’ve been out of a job for a while now,” the Nord among them admitted, reaching for his purse when a mug of ale was placed in front of him and nodding his thanks when the barkeep waved away his attempt to pay out of sympathy. He took a large swig of the ale and sighed. “The towns already have their own bards that they prefer, leaving us without a means to get money.”

“I see,” the barkeep said softly, appearing thoughtful. After a moment of contemplation, he finally smiled. “Well, if you can accept that we have a dragon for Jarl, I don’t see why you can’t stay here. We have an extra house built, or you can rent a few rooms here at the inn. Just go talk to Kulaankiin; he’ll help you out.”

The Bosmer gulped nervously beside the Nord, but they needed a place to stay for the night, and the dragon was said to be fair in his judgment. The three stood and left the inn, heading to the Jarl’s house where they could see the dragon’s bronze skin glowing in the light of the setting sun. When they paused in front of the house, the dragon’s neck shifted as he lifted his head and stared at them. “Why have you come before me, travelers?” The dragon asked, eyes locked onto them.

“M-master Dragon,” the Redguard of the group spoke up, clutching his lute close to his chest. “We were wondering if, perhaps, you wouldn’t mind letting us live here as the bards of the town.”

The dragon stared at them for a moment, clearing considering what they have requested, before it grunted. “I don’t see why not. I actually haven’t seen a bard group perform together on one piece; perhaps you can pleasantly surprise me. Take the unclaimed house. It is only one floor with a basement for storage, but it should be spacious enough for the three of you.”

The three were frozen in surprise, obviously not expecting the dragon to let them stay, before the Bosmer spoke up. “Th-thank you, my Jarl! We’ll do our best to not disappoint you.”

“I am relieved to hear that,” the dragon said wryly, his head tilted at an angle that made the bards think he was amused at their enthusiasm, before he laid his head back down on the roof and lazily watched them move into their new home.

When songs of the Dragon Jarl of Helgen’s generosity and kindness began making their rounds through Skyrim, Shuuzou looked properly long-suffering and annoyed, to his adopted children’s amusement.


End file.
